Nicely done! I don't think I saw the original, but it doesn't feel dated to me. I like the banter between Ruka and Touga, both the emotional ping pong played in their conversations and the imminence of Ruka's death. Somehow it'd never occurred to me that he likely owned the Rose Bride before he took ill and Juri stepped in and Saionji took over. There really needs to be more Ruka fics.

This was lovely. I very rarely read fanfiction these days but was pleased to have stumbled upon this. You offer a lot of interesting insight into Ruka's character and situation, and there were points in the story where your wording was brilliant (when you describe Touga as the swaggering, fake cavalier, for example).

Your story had depth and it's apparent that you put thought into it. I know that these things are not often appreciated in the world of fanfiction, but to me this story was a sight for sore eyes. I'm a huge Utena fan and would love to see more Utena fics from you. I am a bit sleep deprived at the moment, so I apologize if I'm rambling, but I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your story.